Wouldn’t you know it. One of the kindest, least vain and most talented of my photographer friends is having a show opening at a time when I am not in Portland. I figured, absent my attendance which would allow me to write about his work, I’ll just introduce it here early, so at least some other people can show up and tell me about it later. All photographs today are from his series Mood Lighting – breaking my own rule to show only what I have photographed since I can!

I met Philip Bowser some years ago when I was a complete newcomer to the PDX photo scene. He warmly invited me in, despite the fact that I was doing work then radically different from the photography of most other people who met under his tutelage in various photo critique groups.

I was drawn to his work, and in fact bought or bartered for some of it, because it has the same quality as the man who produced it: the substance is not on a showy surface, but lies underneath, to be found at second and third look. The imagery is taken from quotidian observation, the corners of life you and I pass every day as well; he sees the beauty in snippets of it, where we rush along, practically blind.

There is a quietude and often inklings of happiness in the photographs that matches the man as well. Nothing showy, but nothing missed either by this sharp eye.

The photographs for the show feature qualities of light that set a mood or induce feelings, which minimizes the importance of the object illuminated. The series was recently seen in the Portland Photographers Forum Community Drawer in the Park blocks, and portions of the series have been on display at the ASmith gallery in Johnson City, Texas, the Black Box gallery in Portland, and the Lakewood Arts Festival in Lake Oswego.

An opening reception at Cafe Eleven will be held from 1~3pm on 9/7/2019 at the cafe on 435 NE Rosa Parks Way, Portland, OR 97211. (It’s about a block East of the intersection of Rosa Parks and 99E.) The work will be up during the month of September, 2019. So at least I’ll get a chance to catch it when I am back!

Phil is also trying to finish an augmented reality project that will make additional background info about each image appear in a floating banner. If not ready for the reception, it will occur later in the month.

Give it all a look!

And here is the music best mirroring the flow of light in these images: